Roller device with removable rolls



b- 1961 L. c. ERICKSON 2,973,093

ROLLER DEVICE WITH REMOVABLE ROLLS Filed May 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 28, 1961 L. c. ERICKSON ROLLER DEVICE WITH REMOVABLE ROLLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17, 1956 INVENTOR.

a R i W Feb. 28, 1961 L. c. ERICKSON ROLLER DEVICE WITH REMOVABLE ROLLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 25 Filed May 17. 1956 INVENTOR.

ROLLER DEVICE WITH REMOVABLE ROLLS Lewis C. Erickson, 3328 E.,Superir St., Duluth 4, Minn.

Filed May 17,1956, Ser. No. 585,550

Claims. (Cl. 209-106) .In various kinds of material handling or materialclassi'fying devices, it is desirable to have a'series "of driven rolls. For example, the form of invention chosen for illustration is a combined screener and feeder employing a series ,of rolls elliptical in cross section and all driven to rotate about their axes in the same direction.

The driving of a series of closely-spaced rollers presents some complexity. For various reasons, chain-andsprocket drives are desirable. The close positioning of the roller axes makes it desirable to use two rows of sprockets with adjacent sprockets overlapping one another, and with two chains, one for each row. With driving arrangements as complex as this, the disassembly and reassembly of the drive in the course of changing rollers or making adjustments with respect 'to roll spacing has been a troublesome and time-consuming task. According to the present invention, this task is avoided by an arrangement which permits the rollers to be slipped off and replaced without disturbing the drive. Various features contribute toward accomplishing this result. Selfaligning bearings are used at the ends of the rollers and a shaft extends through the rollers to maintain alignment of the bearings. The rollers themselves are shells which slip on and off the shaft. In the case of rolls of elliptical cross section, the drive is preferably accomplished through a square drive nut over which is fitted a square socket formed on the end of the roll, so that merely by turning adjacent rolls 90 out of phase, as they are assembled, they will slip into driving relationship and their proper phase relationship during operation will be ensured. The side frame of the machine, opposite to the side on which the drive is located, is made divisible so that the upper part can be lifted off to permit slipping the rollers off of the shaft. The self-aligning bearings on the drive side of the machine permit the-shaft to be tilted upwardly enough to let the rollers clear the structure of the lower half of the frame.

Additional advantages and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings.

Designationof figures Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating one ues of an elliptical roll feeder and screener constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the rollers being removed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the drive side of the elliptical roll feeder, some details being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the side frame on the drive side. i

Fig. 6 is a corresponding view of the side frame on the opposite side.

Figs. 7 and 8 are, respectively, sectional views taken United States Patent C) of the rollers issufficientnot to require overlapping approximately along the lines 7-7 and 8--8 of 'Figs. 5 and '6.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, approximately horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 9-9 .of Fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an inverted spacer block.

Although the law requires a full and exact description of at least one form of the invention, such as that which follows, it is, of course, one purpose of a patent to cover each new inventive concept therein, no matter how it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions of further improvements; and the appended claims are intended to accomplish this purpose by particularly pointin'g out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

General description 'The invention is illustrated in connection with a feeder 11 having a plurality of elliptical rolls 12. These rolls are spaced apart a short distance, depending on the size of material which it is desired to screen out. The rolls 12 are driven in the clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, so that their upper surface is moved toward the discharge end of the feeder. This action, in cooperation with a deep burden of material 13, causes the oversized pieces to move toward the discharge end and over the last of the rolls 12. A jaw crusher 14 has been illus trated :as receiving the oversized pieces from the feeder 11.

A major feature of the invention concerns the removal of the roll 12. As seen in Fig. 2, these rolls maybe slipped out axially after removal of the upper part of the side frame 16 on one side. The rolls are driven by inter-engagement with drive lugs or nuts 17 carried by bearings at the opposite side of the machine, as is seen more clearly in Fig. 4.

constructional features As seen in Fig. 4, each roll 12 is carried by a shaft 18 or 19. The shaft 18 is the drive shaft for the whole feeder and is longer than the other shaft to support a drive sleeve 21 on which may be mounted a suitable drive pulley or the like. The sleeve 21 includes an inner end portion 22, which forms a bearing sleeve which has a bearing engagement with bearing insert 23. In the case of the remainder of the shafts which are numbered 19 and which extend only slightly outside of the bearing inserts 23, the sleeves 21 are correspondingly shortened and hence do not extend appreciably outside of the hearing portions 22. The opposite ends of the shafts 18 and 19 similarly extend through sleeves including bearing portions 24, which engage bearing inserts '23, preferably identical to the other bearing inserts. The bearing sleeves 24 are portions of sleeves 26, each of which also carries a sprocket 27. In the case of the shaft 18, the sleeve 26 carries a second outer sprocket 28.

From Fig. 4, it is seen that the drive chain is a triple strand chain, the strands being designated 31, 32A and 32B. Strand 32B drives the inner sprockets 27, which are on alternate shafts. Strand 32A drives the remaining alternate sprockets 27-A which are on the remaining shafts 19. Because of the spacing of the shafts and the size of sprocket desired for this heavy-duty structure, the sprockets overlap, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. Strand 31 helps transmit power from shaft 18 to the chain-since strand 32A cannot engage a sprocket-on shaft 18. The chain extends around a sprocket clustercar'r iedby 'chaintightening unit 33. The three sprockets of this cl uster" may be formed in one casting, or otherwise :be rigidly a'sel': sociated. Separate chains could be used. If thespacingr.

3 sprockets, a single strand or a double strand chain could be used.

The bearing inserts 23 are carried by side frame 36 extending the length of the feeder bed. As seen in Fig. 4, the side frame 36 is preferably provided with an oil reservoir portion 37 into which the lower run of the chain dips.

Other details of the side frame 36 are seen in Figs. 5 and 7. Although this side frame is a unitary structure, the bearing inserts 23 may be slipped into position by turning them so that their axes are vertical and slipping them into position through notches 38, after which they may be pivoted to position them with horizontal axes to receive the shafts 18 and 19. While held by the shafts from turning back to the vertical-axis position, they are retained in place by the close fitting walls 39, which are spherically shaped, as are the peripheral surfaces of inserts 23. The hubs of inserts 23 should not extend so far axially as to interfere with the insertion of these inserts, or small diametrically-opposed portions of hub corners may be ground off, if necessary, to permit insertion in the case of hubs which would otherwise be too long.

Side frame 16 is preferably divided approximately along the longitudinal plane 41, indicated in Fig. 8. The two parts are held together by clamp screws 42, the correct relationship of the parts being maintained by spacer blocks 43. Upon removing the clamp screws 42, the upper rail 44 of the side frame 16 may be lifted off and the spacer blocks may be removed. Each of the shafts 18 and 19 has near its end a split-ring retainer 46. Upon removing this retainer and slightly raising the free end of the shaft, the bearing inserts 23, together with the bearing sleeve 22, may he slipped ofi the shaft. Next, the roller 12 may also be slipped off of the shaft, as seen in Fig. 2.

If the rollers are worn out, or if a different spacing between rollers is desired, the rollers being removed may be replaced by new rollers. If the rollers are wearing unevenly, it may be sufiicient to turn them end for end and return the same rollers. Sometimes it may be desirable to interchange some of the rollers, either to distribute wear among them or, if a change in spacing is desired at only a part of the bed. For example, if a conveyor belt runs under the bed, moving from the feed end toward the discharge end, the use of larger-sized rollers at the feed or receiving end would leave narrower spaces at this end so that fines would be deposited on the belt first, and would tend to protect the belt from the coarser pieces falling on top of the fines.

It will be observed that the shafts 18 and 19 are not drive shafts but merely positioning and supporting shafts. Each of the rollers is driven by co-action between an internally square hub 47 and the square drive lug or nut 17. Except for the roller on the shaft 18, the rollers are all driven from the drive nuts 17 extending out from side frame 36 on the drive side of the machine. By the term drive side is meant the side on which is found the drive mechanism represented by the sprockets and chains, regardless of which side the drive pulley is located on. In the case of shaft 18, the roller 12 is driven by the drive nut 17 on sleeve 21, and roller 12 in turn drives sleeve 26 by cooperation between the square drive hub 47 and the drive nut 17 on sleeve 26.

Although the rollers 12 are of elliptical shape in cross section, each is provided at its end with a circular or disk-like portion 48 which cooperates with an apron-like extension 49 to prevent material from falling out between the rollers 12 and the side frame. Close fits at this point are not necessary and, in fact, the fit on the drive side of the machine should be loose enough to permit the shaft 18 to be tilted the slight amount necessary for removing the rollers.

been illustrated.

The spacer lugs 43 are preferably provided with means for retaining them in place without any extra operation. For example, the bottom of each spacer lug 43 may be provided with flanges 51, seen best in Fig. 10, where the spacer block is shown inverted. As seen in Figs. 2 and 6, at the right of each, the spacer blocks 43 interfit with tongues 52 to prevent twisting of the spacer blocks. The spacer blocks are held against other movement by the clamp screws 42 which extend through the spacer blocks.

With the manner of drive illustrated, it is desirable to have means'for holding the chain down on the sprockets at those positions where it merely engages the top of the sprockets. Suitable means for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 4, although such means is more necessary at other points. The hold-down means preferably comprises adjustable slide bars 56 which may be clamped into place by screws 57 extending through the bars 56 and through spacers 58 and threaded to the upper portion'of side frame 36.

The type of construction described permits accurate positioning of the rolls quite inexpensively. It is merely necessary to drill them at 59, near opposite ends, for a close fit with the shafts. This construction produces no objectionable flexing of the shafts, since the load is applied to the shafts quite close to their support by the bearing inserts 23.

The inclination of the roller bed shown in Fig. 1 has been found quite desirable for combined screening and feeding operations. The material is moved slightly uphill. Although this retards itsflow somewhat, it does not retard it objectionably for most purposes and it provides better agitation of the load with more chance for the fines to drop through the bed. Also, it slightly reduces the total headroom or over-all height required.

From the foregoing, it is seen that a very simple construction is provided in which the rollers or roller shells may be easily removed and replaced without dis turbing the main drive arrangements for the rollers. If

' not only facilitates replacement, interchanging, or turning about in the event of wear, but also facilitates changing the spacing between the rollers by the simple means of substituting rollers of different sizes.

An important feature contributing to the simplicity is the use of self-aligning bearings, especially on the drive side, with a shaft that keeps them aligned during operation. The ball-like mounting of the self-aligned bearings permits the shafts to be swung up readily enough for removal of the rollers.

The axially-engaging drive formation (lugs 17 and sockets 47) also facilitates removal. That they will interfit only at intervals facilitates proper phasing of the elliptical rollers, if such rollers are used. Other integral multiples of 90 would also be helpful when such rollers are used. For example, if they could only be interfitted at intervals, inserting rollers with improper phasing would be impossible once the sprockets were properly phased.

The construction permitting the assemblies in such rugged apparatus to be held together with snap rings 46 is also a feature of simplicity. It may be noted here that such snap rings are on both ends of the shafts.

I claim:

1. A bed of driven rollers including a pair of side frames, a series of self-aligning bearings in one of said side frames; drive sleeves extending through said bearings, carrying sprockets on the outer side of the frame and driving formations on the inner side of the frame; hearings in the opposite side frame; shafts each extending through one of said sleeves and through a bearing in the opposite side frame; and a roller on each shaft between the side frames and having a driving formation in axially-engaged driving engagement with a driving formation of the drive sleeves; the opposite side frame be-.

ing separable to permit raising the shaft ends therefrom and removal of the rollers from the shafts.

2. A bed of driven rollers including a pair of side frames, a series of self-aligning hearings in one of said side frames; drive sleeves extending through said bearings, carrying sprockets on the outer side of the frame and driving formations on the inner side of 'the frame; bearings in the opposite side frame; shafts each extending through one of said sleeves and through a bearing in the opposite side frame; and a roller on each shaft between the side frames and having a driving formation in axiallyengaged driving engagement with a driving formation of the drive sleeves; the opposite side frame being separable to permit raising the shaft ends therefrom and removal of the rollers from the shafts; each roller resting on the shaft solely in widely spaced zones near the ends of the roller and near the bearings, and in said zones being bored to fit the shaft closely.

3. A bed of driven rollers including a pair of side frames, a series of self-aligning hearings in one of said side frames on the side of the machine used for driving the rollers; drive sleeves extending through said bearings, said sleeves carrying sprockets on the outer side of the frame and driving formations on the inner side of the frame; bearings in the opposite side frame; shafts each extending through and supporting one of said sleeves and through a bearing mounted on the opposite side frame; and a roller on each shaft between the side frames and having a driving formation in axially-engaged driving engagement with a driving formation of the drive sleeves; the hearings on the opposite side frame being separable to permit raising the shaft ends and removal of the rollers from the shafts.

4. A bed of driven rollers including first and second side frames, a series of pairs of bearings with one bearing of each pair carried by each side frame, a shaft extending through each pair of bearings, drive means along the first side frame including a series of sprockets associated with the bearings of that side frame and chain means driving the sprockets, a roll on each shaft, the end portions of the rolls being supported by the shafts near the bearings, the bearings on the second side frame being separable to permit axial removal of the rollers, and separable driving coupling means between the sprockets and the rollers whereby the drive means may be left intact when the rollers are removed.

5. A bed of driven rollers according to claim 4 in which the rollers are elliptical and displaced approximately in phase from adjacent rollers and the driving coupling means can be reengaged only at angular intervals spaced approximately by an integral multiple of 90.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 530,262 Distl et a1. Dec. 4, 1894 1,025,587 Norman May 7, 1912 1,498,144 Avery June 17, 1924 2,047,885 Riebe July 14, 1936 2,244,546 Stackdale June 3, 1941 2,267,429 Stebler Dec. 23, 1941 2,338,649 Kutil Jan. 4, 1944 2,661,840 Ballard Dec. 8, 1953 2,676,387 McArn Apr. 27, 1954 2,743,813 Erickson May 1, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 620,368 Germany Oct. 26, 1935 

